Parents as Partners Conference

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• Parents as Partners Conference
• Reaching families, engaging parents

Maggie Mellon 28 October 2008
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voluntary sector organisations working together
to provide a focus for issues and concerns
affecting parents and families in
Scotland.Formed in 2004 - Scottish Government
funding
Parenting Across Scotland
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• CHILDREN 1ST
• Aberlour Childcare Trust
• Capability Scotland
• One Parent Families Scotland
• Stepfamily Scotland
• Relationships Scotland (formerly Family
  Mediation Scotland and Relate Scotland)
• Scottish Adoption Association
• Scottish Marriage Care

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? sharing experience of working with families
and ?parents? hearing directly from and
learning from parents and ? families?
promoting positive images of parents and
families? coming together to input into
services, policy practice
Values and approach - partnership with parents
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? Co-ordinate and improve the information and
support available? Research the issues and
concerns affecting parents and families in
Scotland? Represent the views of parents in the
policymaking process? Gain greater recognition
for the important job parents and families do in
bringing up Scotlands children ?
www.parentingacrossscotland.org Over 70,000
hits per month
What does Parenting Across Scotland do?
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CHILDREN 1ST ParentLine, Capability Scotland,
One Parent Families Scotland, Stepfamily
Scotland? direct call transfers ? joint
standards and referral systems? joint training
days and courses for call-takers? looking at
involving other helplines
OKtoAsk helplines
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Ten top tips for parentsFour booklets aimed
at stages of childrens lives (transitions) that
are difficult? Starting primary school?
Starting high school? Parenting teenagers?
Sex and relationshipsRequested by nurseries,
schools, health visitors, parenting projects
and parents themselves.
Publications for parents informed by parents
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2004 MORI poll of general population looking at
parenting? 40 of parents worried about how
good a parent they are? Problems? Financial
pressures, and difficulties achieving a
work-life balance and behaviour
Hearing directly from parents
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• 2005 Telephone poll of 150 parents policy
  involvement? 2 out of 3 had never contacted
  their MSP or local councillor of these, over
  half didnt know how to? Most parents felt
  they were not adequately informed about or
  influencing policy changes which affect them

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2007 MORI poll of parents ? 52 thought there
was a great deal/some support for parents 41
said there is not a lot/none ? Parents top
worries for their children were education and
school work, drugs and alcohol abuse and choice
of friends ? About a third of parents who live
with a partner say that they and their partner
play an equal role in bringing up their
child 2008 MORI poll Family alive and well !
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? Parents and politicians came together and
told their own parenting stories.? 13 MSPs
participated, sharing stories and experiences
about their own family life teenage offending,
drug problems, adoption, coming out as gay?
Young people from Drumchapel drama now on dvd
Parenting stories at the parliament (2006 and
2007)
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? parenting and partnership is higher up the
Government agenda? Parenting central to
Early Years Framework (which Adam Ingram will
talk about after this) and we welcome this?
but needing help with parenting doesnt stop in
the early years many of the calls from the
OKtoAsk helplines come from parents of
teenagers
The future?
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? ensure parents get the support they need when
they need it? research what support and help
parents need? make sure that parents voices
are heard by politicians and policymakers.
PAS partners will continue to work together to